James a



(NO Model.)

J. A. BOSTWICK. FLASH LIGHT COMPOSITION.

NO. 594,594. Patented NOV. 30, 1897.

INVENTOH 9W. #y ...I B

AIIORN s WITN ESSES:

QUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

1 Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State JAMES A. BOs'rwIOK, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, Ass-IGNOR or ONE-.THIRD To CHARLES w. BLODG'ET, OF NEW-YORK, N. Y.

FLASH-Lio HT COM POSITION.

SPECIFICATION forming part o f Letters Patent No. 594,594, dated November 30, 1897'.V

Application led October 21,

' To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

`Be it known ythat I, JAMES A. BOSTWICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at of New York, have invented'a new and usel ful Improved Articlefor Producing Flashduced by metals of the class referred to or `mixtures of such metals with compounds con Lights, of which the following is a specification.

Myiuvention relates, primarily, to the iproduction of artificial light for photographic purposes.

Heretofore powdered metals or pyrotechnic mixtures have been largely employed for the production of artificial light and particularly to produce dash-lights for photographic purposes. The manner in which these materials have been employed has been to inject them inpowdered form into a flame or by placing the powdered-material upon somev highly-inflammable material, such as guncotton, which is then ignited." The'illuminating-flame protaining oxygen is opaque, and the illumination effect therefrom only proceeds from theV 'superficial area of the ame presented to the point to be illuminated, except, of course,

when reflectors are employed, in which event l 'the light given oif by other-exterior surfaces of the flame may to anextent be utilized. All the ways heretofore 'practiced for effecting the combustion of' the materials referred to 'produce a solid ame or-one having considerable area in cross-section, and are therefore wasteful: Hence the larger the quantity of the powder employed vthe more solid or Agreater in cross-section is the dame, and the percentage of waste correspondingly. increased. Where the powder is thrown or injected' into aame, there is also a waste of that part which misses the flame. Aside from these objections, there is considerable inconvenience..a attending the production of flashlights in the way suggested or in any ways heretofore employed, so far as I am aware.

The object of my invention is to produce g an effective illuminating-name or combustion havingthe greatest extent of superficial area exposedY to the point or object to be illuminated for the amount of material employed and to provide a convenient way in which 1896. Serial No. 609,586. (No specimens.)

flammable medium that constitutes a sup- `port for the combustible material giving the desired light, which maybe suspended in anydesirable way, and, when ignited,burns quickly and gi-ves'a thin flat iame of large superficial area relatively tothe amount of such material consumed. The illuminating material may be attached superficially to such a' thin flat supporting medium or maybe incorporated into the body thereof. Thus by means of my invention I obviate the waste of 'thepowden overcome the inconvenience attendingits handling and use, and produce a thinvsheet of dame having a relatively large Vsuperficial area which may be presented 'to the point 'or object to be illuminated.

AVhere flash-lights for photographic purposes are to be produced, the proper illuminating metal or compoundy is employed, and. the thin-supporting medium should be one of high and rapid combustibility.

My invention therefore comprises a new article of manufacture having the characteristics above suggested.

As an illustration of one way of carrying out my invention for producing flash-lights for photographic purposes I may employ a\ sheet of collodion having the powdered metal or metals or compounds attached to its face or incorporated with it. Thus I may .proceed as follows: Guncotton'is' dissolved in alcohol and ether and collodion produced by evaporation therefrom according to well-known methods. To the collodion is added a suitable quantity of the illuminating material, which may be powdered magnesium or aluminium or a mixture of potassium chlorate, seventy parts; potassium perchlorate,.forty (40)y parts; magnesium, forty-five (45) parts, and aluminium twenty (20) parts. The quantity of this powder combined per square inch of superficial area withthe sheet of collodion will depend upon the character of flame de-V sired. I mix the powder-and collodionand pour the mixture on a well-talcked plate of glass, and after it has `hardened orl set I strip IOO of suitable and convenientsze.' Instead of the above procedure, however, I may ow the ,collodion,ox 1 a glassor. other st iiiableplate land dustv the powder (Qjei it, Iafter which a layer of collodion may be owed overthe pow-v proper relation to the cameraand the object or point to be'illuminated and then ignited.

- A atiame of relatively large supercial area and 'small thick-ness is thus produced that vgives a maximum amountof light for a mini- .mum quantity offthe material employed. The combustiblev illuminating-sheets may g be cut'upLin. suitable'sizes and supplied to the trade in packages o r in. book-like formfwithf 2 5 `The economy and convenience of 'their use` 1 will be apparent from the foregoing; Thepowdered illuminating material is com- .bined with the sheet, whether it be/incorpo- .30

der upon the layer of collodion subject vit tothe layer from the glass and cut it into sheets der. The'second layer of eo'llodion may be omitted. I may also after dusting' thefp'ow pressure bya roll o'r otherwise t6 incorporate it more, intimately into :the face or -body of lthe. sheet of collodion. A lilm or thin'sheet of combustible material prepared vin the Ways' abovedescribed or in any other suitable Ways may be suspended in suitable covers-orin any other suitable Way.

rated into the body'of thesheet by mixture,

pressure, o1 otherwise, o r whether `it be attached to the surface of the sheet ofinflamf mable material. WVhen, therefore, I speak hereinafter of the illuminating material being combinedwith the sheet of inflammable material, I intend to include all methods of unit- .ing the two materials.

'Intheaccompan-ying drawings, Figure 1 indicates a ysheet of collodion orl inflammable*l material having the'illuminating-powderinf. corporated in toit.` Fig. 2 indicatesa sheet` .its ignition anacti'nic light of briefd ,and large area is` produced.

. duced;

' brief illumination collodion.

haying Ivthe vpowder attached to the surface. Fig. 3 indicates a sheet composed of two layers of combustible' material andan intervening laye'r.'of ipowderedmaterial,- The thick: 45

ness of the sheetsimthes'e figures is cxagger ated for clearness of delineation. --I claim as my invention-f i' LfThe heeined'escribed new articleof manufacture consisting of a photographic Hashlight film or sheet composed of highly-infiammable'material having combinedfwith itphov tographic Hash-light material, whereby upon uration 2; The herei-described new article of manufacture consistingof a photographic iiash.-l

light fil-m orl sheet'composed of collodion having combined with iti powdered flash-light inaterial, whereby upon its ignition. an actinic-o light *offbrief duration and large area ispro- 3. As a new article ofmanufacture, two thin sheets or films of collodion having applied to their contiguous faces a powdered combusti*- 65 ble AHash-light mixture that will produce a;

4. Asa new* articleof manufacture,a sheet ofcollodion ha ingcombined withit powdered 7ol magnesium for'the purposes described.

-5. As a new article of manufacture, a sheet of collodion having combined therewithapo'w;

yderfedv mixture 'of Apotassium clilorate, potassium perchlorateanagnesium and aluminium'. 75

substantially as and for the purposes set forthqscribed mynarne. j JAMES AJBOSTW'ICK. 'tlVi'tnesses.: l i 1 EDWARD C. DAVIDSON,

'.'.'C.'D.LUDLE." 1

upon -the combustion ofthe In' .testimony whereofl'havehereuntosuly 

